When Roses Sprout Wings
by xoAmaxi
Summary: An elite team of soldiers led by Levi embark on a mission to hunt down an unknown Titan-Shifter in Wall Maria. (Levi x Rico).
1. Thorns Cut Deeper Than Feathers

Foreword

Set after the events of chapter 52 in the Manga, if you have not read up to that chapter please note **there will be spoilers**! There will also be mentions of events/characters from the spin-off series "A Choice With No Regrets". This is rated T for language (because we all know what Levi is like) and gore (should go without saying, this IS _Attack on Titan_...). There will eventually be romance between Levi and Rico, but I'm trying to keep everyone as in-character as possible throughout the story.

**I wasn't planning on uploading this until I had completed the entire story (in case I decided to change some things), but I'm kind of desperate to get Rico some recognition. She's probably my favourite female character in SnK, while Levi is hands-down my favourite male. Naturally, I like to ship my favourites (even when they have no interaction whatsoever). I would give anything to see them interact in the manga/anime, I mean c'mon: they're both short and badass, putting them together is a recipe for trouble! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the story! I can't say for sure when chapter 2 will be out, but I'm working on it!**

* * *

"So you have no doubts, Erwin Smith?"

Erwin raised his hand to the bandaged stump that once was his right arm and gave it a rub. He longed to scratch it, to rid it of that horrible, itchy, burning sensation. But he knew better. He looked up at Dot Pixis and replied; "None at all."

The Garrison Commander, all clad in his military uniform, gave a thoughtful "hmm...". He reached into his jacket to pull out his beloved stainless steel liquor-filled flask, only to pause when he remembered his alcohol had been taken away by his subordinate Anka. She had argued that the old man needed to take better care of his health. Pity, after everything Pixis had been told by Erwin, he felt as though he really needed a drink...

Word had spread like wildfire throughout the towns, courtesy of anxious soldiers stationed at the top of the walls. It was them who had witnessed the event; a great beam of light rising from the earth, spotted within Wall Maria, the outermost wall which had been taken over by titans. Some had shrugged at the beam, passing it off as nothing more than a lightning strike. But there were others who knew better, others who knew exactly what that flash was; a human-to-titan transformation. It was Hanji, one of Erwin's most trusted subordinates, who bought him the news.

It was an opportunity too good to miss. Erwin and Hanji had agreed that this "new shifter" had to be captured; they could be a valuable source of information. For all they knew, there could be more than one shifter. Perhaps it was the secret base of their enemy? Or perhaps it was nothing at all... There was only one way to find out.

Hunting down a shifter in titan territory was a dangerous operation. It was decided that six members of the Special Operations Squad, led by Lance Corporal Levi, would undertake the difficult task. Meanwhile, Hanji and a few other squad members were to remain behind for critical research on Titan-shifter Eren. The issue was who to choose for the mission.

Mikasa, being an extremely protective adopted sister, had persisted on staying with Eren. Erwin only relented to her request after she had stated that she could control Eren if he "went berserk". Historia, given her value to titan research, also wasn't an option for The Hunt. This left few choices remaining. Of course, Erwin had thought about sending the leaders Mike and Nanaba, but both had been killed in action.

It was at that point that a certain bald-headed, grey-moustached Garrison Commander had come waltzing in with an interesting suggestion.

"Does this mean you accept my offer?" Pixis asked.

Erwin glanced down at the files sitting in his lap. He mulled over the plans in his head one last time. He, Pixis and all of the other great leaders based their decisions on one factor: whether it would benefit humanity or not. Erwin was seeing more pros than cons in Pixis' offer. It was simple really: get a Garrison soldier to fill in as number six in the Special Operations Squad. Pixis had taken very little time to consider who that soldier would be. Garrison had plenty of soldiers – elites even – to spare. But it was only one more highly-skilled, experienced soldier that the team required.

Erwin returned his gaze to Pixis. "I accept."

Pixis smiled. "I'm sure she won't disappoint."

Erwin scanned over the soldier's name on the paper. For the first time the Survey Corps Commander said the name aloud, testing it on his tongue as if it would give him some indicator of the soldier's true worth.

"...Rico Brzenska..."

* * *

"Tch."

"Don't _'tch'_ at me!" Hanji shouted over her paperwork, "These experiments are important."

Levi frowned at her. Seeing the infamous and gloriously short solider with his back leaning against a bench top, arms folded and his trademark monotone expression set in stone was enough to send most people into a stuttering and sweating mess, from _fear_ of course.

But not Hanji. Heck, she was one to fear too, with her overwhelming eccentricity and whatnot... She was sitting down at a nearby table. Papers of diagrams and notes scribbled down in her almost unreadable writing were scattered all over the place. The brown-haired squad leader was darting from paper to paper, reviewing everything for what must have been the fifty billionth time.

"I thought you would have leapt at the first minute to take part in this mission, Four-Eyes, you always use to pester me about helping you capture titans. Do you really want to stay behind and babysit bratty Eren?"

"Why would I go catch that new titan when Erwin's sending you to go collect it for me?" Hanji said with a smirk.

Levi only scowled.

The scientist nudged at her glasses so they sat more comfortably on her nose. "I've decided the first thing I'm going to do in these experiments is-"

"You've already explained it to me," Levi interrupted.

"But I need to review it and include my-"

"Don't-" Levi straightened up, his eyebrows knitted together in a frown. "Don't..." He repeated, walking over and yanking Hanji by the hair to force her into making eye contact, "_Don't._"

It was then he noticed the ugly smudge of ink on Hanji's cheek. _She must have fallen asleep on her paperwork, idiot_. He also took note of the oily texture of her hair within his fingers; his fellow co-leader really had been busy on these plans... Busy enough to be neglecting her hygiene to some extent. _Ugh_. Levi released her and casually made his way outside the room; he had other business to attend to, like washing his hands with the strongest soap known to the world to rid himself of Hanji's oil (and strands of hair). As he stepped outside the door he overheard Hanji muttering, but all he could make out was "...must be constipated..."

* * *

Pixis glanced over his shoulder at the woman behind him. Rico was gazing with wonder at all the lush vegetation and the cloudless sky, tinged orange from the early morning sun. Her body was moving rhythmically with the pace of her horse. When she realised Pixis was watching her she resumed her usual monotone expression, not wanting to look like some excitable little girl on a picnic ride. She was a soldier about to embark on a serious mission; she needed to appear dignified, disciplined, unbreakable. At least that's what she thought. Pixis chuckled and turned away.

It _did_ kind of feel like a picnic ride though, for the time being anyway. Rico, Pixis, Erwin, all mounted on horses, making their way to some secluded destination in the centre of a forest within Wall Rose... Erwin wouldn't stand for anyone else to join the ride to the house, wanting to keep its location as secretive as possible. Rico suspected that he was already uneasy about allowing her to this "secret spot", not wanting to put his soldiers at risk of detection by an enemy unknown to Rico.

She was surprised that Commander Smith had insisted on taking them to the hideout himself. Anyone else in his condition would have stayed in bed to continue recovering. But Erwin wasn't 'anybody else'. There was a good reason why he was the leader of the Survey Corps.

Rico lifted her gaze to Erwin, who was riding just ahead. He was wearing his green scouting legion cloak. The Wings of Freedom on his clothing seemed to rustle like real feathers against the breeze. Even though he wasn't facing her, Rico felt as though there were eyes on the back of the Commander's head, glaring at her, scrutinizing her, threatening all kinds of horrors should she screw up this mission of give away the location of the Special Operations Squad hideout.

Pixis had put his faith in her. She had to succeed.

"We're almost there," Erwin said over his shoulder.

A few minutes later the trio were approaching a reasonably large, single-storied house. It looked as though it was made from wood, giving it the impression of being old. But its many windows were all polished remarkably well and the wooden planks that made up the porch were free of any mud stains. There were no weeds around the building, it was astonishingly well-kept.

Rico realised there was someone standing on the roof – a sentry? It was a young woman, draped in Survey Corps uniform and a worn-out red scarf. She was watching them with an unreadable expression.

Erwin brought the travellers to a halt, they all dismounted their horses. It was then that the soldier on the roof finally jumped down without hassle and approached the trio. Went she stopped in front of them she put one hand behind her back and pressed the other to her heart in a respectful salute to Erwin. The Commander nodded his approval at her. Now that she was up close Rico could recognise her: Mikasa. Rico had fought alongside her in the mission to seal Wall Rose and had offered Mikasa advice during the trial over Eren's fate.

A tall boy with two-toned, scruffy hair suddenly came running from around the side of the house. He hurriedly took a place at Mikasa's side and mimicked her salute. "Commander Erwin sir! Welcome back!" He blurted out.

Mikasa shot a subtle but unmistakably irritated look at the boy.

"Ackerman, Kirstein, take these horses to the stables," Erwin ordered.

"Sir!" They said together.

Erwin handed his reigns over to Mikasa while Jean Kirstein offered to take both Pixis' and Rico's steeds. The Garrison soldiers said their thanks and tailed after Commander Erwin as he led them indoors. Before stepping inside the Commander brushed his feet against the door mat. Pixis did the same. Rico followed, but she was so caught up in taking in the appearance of the house that her efforts to comb her shoes clear of dirt were half-hearted. She left a faint trail in her wake, but neither she nor the Commanders noticed.

It was quiet inside. There was a large table in the centre of the room, surrounded by wooden chairs. In the corner there were couches situated around a smaller, round table. There was also a big fireplace, a closet and plates lined up neatly on wooden shelves. It definitely looked like a meeting room.

"Rico."

"Sir?" Rico looked up at Dot Pixis.

"Erwin and I will fetch the squad leaders, you wait here in the mean time," the old man stated.

Rico straightened up, "yes sir!"

The Commanders disappeared into the next room, chattering to each other, leaving Rico alone. She wandered the room aimlessly for a bit, letting her fingers graze over the chairs and tables and trying out the couches in the corner. Eventually she paused at the window and stared outside. It was quite a beautiful sight: the morning sun peeking through the leaves of trees, casting shadows on the forest floor that seemed to dance... But the mission ahead was heavy on Rico's mind. She found herself pondering about what she was in store for.

Her thoughts drowned all other noise, she failed to hear footsteps approaching the room...

* * *

Levi stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened at the floor; **_dirt_**. There was a faint trail of footprints leading around the room. Levi's grey eyes followed the filth until...

There. Standing over at the window, gazing at the world outside with apparent absentmindedness was a silver-haired woman. Levi immediately took in the large red roses, surrounded with spiralling thorns, pictured on the back and sleeves of the woman's tan-coloured jacket. She was a member of Garrison, no doubt.

"Hey," Levi called, his tone lacking any hint of respect or politeness.

The silver-haired soldier jumped and quickly spun around to face Levi. She raised her hand to her chest in salute and straightened her back, trying to look as tall and dignified as possible. Though, she wasn't very tall at all.

"Rico Brzenska, sir! Here on military business!" She looked a little flustered from the surprise, but her voice was very calm.

Levi quickly took in her features: her eyes were as silver as her hair, her expression (after getting over the initially surprise) was stern and she was reasonably slim, yet somehow sharp. She also had glasses which were strapped around her head, much like Hanji. The thought of that made Levi nearly shudder. One Hanji was more than enough.

"Midget Four-Eyes-," _Oh yes, I'll keep that nickname_ Levi thought, "-Weren't you ever taught to clean your boots before entering a building?"

Rico's jaw dropped, but she immediately closed it again, not wanting to appear off-guard. Her expression hardened. _No one insults her glasses... _She dropped her arm and glared at the man standing across the room from her. "Dirt doesn't hurt anyone. Fists can though."

She smirked when Levi narrowed his eyes in distaste. "Was that a threat?"

"Maybe."

Levi stared coldly at her for a moment. Then he zipped over to the large, wooden closet at the opposite end of the room. Within moments he was marching back with a broom in one hand and a mop in the other. He stomped right up to Rico with his cold expression unchanging... Once he had reached her he paused to once again absorb her appearance. Now that he was so close he realised something: she was even shorter than he was, just. She was staring back at him with an equally monotone expression.

Levi scoffed at the woman, "clean up your mess."

With that said, he forced the mop into her arms (and face). Rico peeked out from behind the stringy head of the mop, looking disgusted. "Do it yourself, I'm busy waiting for Commander Erwin to return with-"

"You can clean while you wait."

"No!" Rico twirled the mop in her arms and sent it swinging around like a sword. Levi barely had enough time to block the attack with his broom. Rico was stunned by the man's rapid reflexes, but she didn't give up. She went for another strike with the opposite end of the mop, but once again Levi blocked the attack. Rico advanced once more, this time with greater agility, and managed to finally smack Levi across the face with the head of the mop.

_The end which is used to clean up filthy floors..._ Levi realised with horror as he staggered backwards. He sneered at Rico before thwacking her over the head with his broom. Rico recoiled as bristles from the broom went everywhere. The pair exchanged fierce stares before clashing broom-against-mop. Their weapons locked and their eyes met. They glared at one another, neither one willing to back down-

"AHEM!"

Rico and Levi paused and (somewhat sheepishly) turned to the door.

Erwin, Pixis and Hanji, clothed in their military jackets, were standing at the doorway. Pixis looked amused, Hanji confused and Erwin was as unreadable as ever. The Survey Corps Commander stepped forth and frowned down at the two sparring soldiers.

"I see you two have already met."

Rico assumed the hand-to-heart soldier formation. "Apologies Commander, I was waiting patiently for you when this clean-freak appeared..." She turned to Hanji and smiled, "is this the squad leader I'll be working with?"

Pixis and Hanji both stifled their laughs. Erwin ignored them, "No. Hanji is a leader, but she'll be remaining behind for this mission to undertake crucial experiments. The squad leader you'll be working with is Levi," he gestured to Levi with a nod of his head.

Rico and Levi both looked horrified.

"Him?!"

"Her?!"


	2. The Hunt Begins

**Still waiting for Rico to be recognized in the character list. I've sent a request to the staff, but no response yet.. D:**

**Oh well. Here's chapter 2 for you all~**

* * *

"Don't be an idiot," Rico muttered, pulling on the reins. The grey mare tossed its head back and forth and flicked its ears. Rico gently nudged at the horse's flank with her foot and, this time, the mare obeyed by moving forward. But it was snorting its disapproval.

_They say pets are like their owners..._ Rico grimaced. _She's as stubborn as I am but-_

"Lacks discipline."

_Ugh, him._ Rico couldn't help but growl like a canine, even letting her teeth show... It was if Levi had read her mind. She flashed a sour look down his way. He hadn't mounted his black horse yet; he was standing before it and brushing the knots out of its mane. He didn't even give Rico the courtesy of facing her when he spoke. If there really was any dog around here, it was Levi's horse. It closed its eyes, looking blissful, with every stroke of the brush. Rico even saw it lick Levi's hand at one point.

Rico decided she wasn't in the mood to argue; she just shook her head and urged her mare on. Outside the stable the midday sun was shining brightly, and the four selected squad members, Jean, Connie, Armin and Sasha, were pottering about.

Jean, with his long face and sharp features, was considerably strong and always spoke his mind. The latter wasn't always a good thing though, upon their first proper introduction Jean had commented on Rico's height, calling it "mouse-like". Rico had made sure to step on his toes when she had walked passed him.

Rico's first encounter with Connie hadn't gone too well either. It had involved Rico accidently slamming a door into Connie's face. At first Rico felt embarrassed and apologetic, but she quickly realised Connie, though determined and skilled, was a pretty reckless soldier. He was even worse around his friend Sasha, the only other female soldier attending the mission.

Rico hardly got any words out of Sasha; instead she received muffled responses and flying crumbs of bread.

Last but not least: Armin proved to be a respectable soldier. Rico found herself taking a liking to the blonde-haired recruit. But she felt a nasty pang of slight fear in her chest when Armin admitted that his fighting skills weren't anything to gawk at. What he lacked in brawn he made up with brains, but Rico couldn't help but think of Levi's squad, and this whole mission, as a circus. And she was now a part of it.

"Joy." She muttered to herself.

Connie, who was preparing his horse's saddle, heard her and looked up from his handiwork. "You say something Miss B?"

Rico did all she could to avoid rolling her eyes. "We'll be leaving soon."

"Alrighty, we're nearly ready, right guys?"

"Yeah!" Sasha replied enthusiastically. She was stuffing a handful of raw potatoes into a rucksack.

Rico pinched the bride of her nose. It was actually happening. She was going on a life-threatening mission with a bunch of kids and an ex-thug who was as short as his temper. _How did I end up agreeing to this?_

"If you keep looking at my soldiers like that I may just end up kicking you in the face," said a voice from behind.

Levi was finally on his horse; his dark stallion walked up at a calm pace. It paused when Levi tugged at its reins, right alongside Rico.

"You couldn't see my face back there, how do you know how I was 'looking' at them?" Rico asked irritably. She felt uncomfortable with the cold, threatening stare Levi was giving her... Before he just looked annoyed, but now there was something, given away by his icy eyes and tight lips, that made him look deathly serious.

"The disgust is practically radiating from you." He told her. "Don't underestimate these soldiers, for they are truly _soldiers_ and not the children you make them out to be."

Rico turned away and said no more.

Levi trotted on and called out to his squad. All four of them went into a flurry of activity; each one mounting their steeds and cramming last-minute necessities into their bags.

The squad had spent all morning preparing: going over maps and strategies with Commander Erwin and Hanji, saddling up horses and collecting supplies. Armin had said his heart-felt farewells to Mikasa and Eren, promising to return alive. Jean had also attempted to say goodbye to Mikasa, but his words had only come out in incomprehensive stutters.

Before Pixis had left he had put a hand to Rico's shoulder and given it a comforting squeeze.

"Good luck," he had said.

A whinny from Rico's mare shook her out of her thoughts. She gave the horse a gentle rub and scratch on its neck...

It was time for the Hunt to begin.

* * *

They rode for hours. Before long they had passed through the gates of Wall Rose and were dashing through the Titan-invested territory of Wall Maria. They travelled over seemingly endless green fields that were dotted with trees, stumps and flowers. There were shimmering rivers snaking their way through the fields, abandoned crops full of overgrown vegetables and weeds scattered all around. Every once in a while the squad came across old abandoned farmhouses and wandering domestic animals. There was a feral population of sheep roaming around weed-invested ranches, but they fled on sight of Levi's team. Occasionally mindless titans would appear off in the distant, but Levi strategically led his team away from the monsters. They needed to avoid the regular titans, for the sake of saving energy, time and supplies.

All the time spent riding made Rico appreciate just how _enormous_ the Maria territory was, and why losing it to the titans had been such a huge blow to mankind. The trip to the target location – a barn once used to store food for farm animals – was mostly quiet, save for Sasha questioning about stopping for snacks and Armin and Jean conversing over the experiments Eren would be enduring.

It was afternoon by the time they reached the barn. It was a sturdy building, albeit rusty from disuse, big and windowless, with vines climbing up its sides as evidence of its long-term abandonment. There was a large pond nearby, lined by long grass. Levi bought the team to a halt near the body of water. The horses, who were all glistening with sweat and snorting tiredly, were given the chance to quench their first before being tied to separate trees to rest and nibble.

Meanwhile, the squad members unpacked their bags and investigated the barn for any enemies. The barn had a harsh concrete floor, full of cracks and crevices where vegetation sprouted from. There were bales of mouldy hay and Lucerne stacked against the wall and piled in corners; they were home to dozens of scampering little rodents. But there were no enemies as far as the squad were concerned.

Levi got to work on barking out orders. "Sasha, you'll be the first on lookout. Armin and I will scout the area. The rest of you tend to the horses..."

Everyone quickly got to work. This was to be a temporary stop only: to allow time for the horses to rest and the riders to snack. Plans were to ride late into the night; they needed to cover as much ground as they could.

The squad had eaten well in the morning to prepare for their journey, but for this afternoon all the team had were wafer sticks. They had other food of course – namely vegetables and fruits – but they were not for tonight.

_I've never really liked these things..._ Rico thought as she munched on her third wafer stick, her back to a tree. There was a gentle breeze, but it was difficult to appreciate it when the thought of being in _Titan Invested Lands_ was knocking at the back of one's mind like an unwelcome guest at a door.

"Hey..." Rico was suddenly pulled out of her musing; that was Jean's voice.

The boy had his head buried in the vegetable rucksack, searching for something. He pulled up, looking confused. "Someone's been in here! I know for sure that I tied it up properly before we left!"

Rico and Connie turned to Sasha who was trying, indiscreetly, to sneak away behind the barn.

"Sasha!" Jean and Connie shouted together.

The brunette-haired girl stopped in her tracks and starting trembling, "Y-yes?"

"What did you take?" Jean asked irritably.

"Nothing!" Sasha protested.

"You're lying," Connie said, deadpanned.

"It was one carrot!" Sasha admitted, flailing her arms out frantically. There was a half-eaten carrot in one hand and her eyes almost wet with guilt.

Realisation suddenly hit Rico square in the face. She froze up. _Sasha's meant to be on sentry duty._ Rico recalled. _But if she's hear, then-_

"Sasha!" The name slipped out of Rico's mouth.

The brunette turned to Rico curiously. "Yeah?"

"Who's on lookout?"

_Thump..._

Everyone stood deathly still.

_Thump!_

"What the hell is that?" Jean breathed, though the tone in his voice seemed to say he already knew the answer.

_THUMP!_

"Draw your weapons!" Rico ordered. She pressed her finger over the triggers on her manoeuvre gear. Hooks shot out and quickly attached to the sloping roof of the old barn. The grapples pulled Rico off the ground she soared towards the building.

_I'll get to the top and have a look-_ she told herself as she flew effortlessly through the air. She landed on the barn roof with ease, but in that moment the light from the sun vanished. She felt a horrible chill run through her blood; she was under the shadow of a-

"TITAN!" came a collective scream from below.

Rico looked up. Two enormous, dark brown eyes were staring down emotionlessly at her. And a large hand was poised above, reading to come crashing down right on her head. As quick as lightening, Rico back-flipped straight off the building. The huge beast's hand collided with the barn: it smashed straight through the wood, causing it to splinter in all directions, and broke the barn in two. Dust rose up from the rubble.

Upon hitting the ground Rico somersaulted backwards and staggered to her feet. She felt Sasha's hands on her shoulders, helping her steady on her feet. The team stared in shock: it was a thirteen metre Titan with short dark hair and an elongated jaw that swayed with every move the monster made. Its hand was steaming from the collision with the barn, but it took no notice.

"Scatter!" Jean yelled.

"I'll distract it!" Connie announced, standing his ground and poising his swords.

The others rocketed out in different directions, leaving trails of steam in their wake.

"We'll go 'round and slash its neck!" Rico shouted.

Jean and Sasha swung out wide at the titan's left, Rico went out to the right. The long-jawed titan was eyeing up Connie on the ground; it stomped towards the bald boy with heavy, slow steps. Connie gradually backed away, but continued shouting obscenities at the titan and waving his swords about madly. The monster had eyes only for the crazed human on the ground.

From a distance Rico, still flying through the trees, could see Sasha racing ahead of Jean. The brown-haired soldier latched onto the side of the titan's shoulder with her gear and expertly wheeled herself around to the back, readying for a slice.

Rico attached her hooks to a tree branch and brought herself to an abrupt halt. She straightened up, letting her swords rest at her sides, and watched the younger female cut into the titan's nape. Blood and steam spurted out everywhere. The titan groaned in pain, its eyes lolled into the back of its head and it dropped to the ground with a loud crash. Sasha landed on the titan's back and began dancing on the spot; singing of her victory.

But something didn't sit right in Rico's stomach; she felt an odd sense of dread wash over her. There was a cold wind at the back of her neck and a voice calling out to her, but she couldn't make out what it was saying. She propelled herself off the branch. In mid-air she gave a fleeting look behind her; a huge hand was outstretched, reaching for her, clasping down on her... Rico released her hooks and spun herself about wildly, letting her blades stretch out and cut everything surrounding her. The swords slashed through the fingers, making them recoil and spray blood in all directions. Next, Rico was falling. She shot her hooks for a far-off tree. The grapples connected, Rico pulled with all her might, trying to reel herself away from the danger, but the titan's other, uncut hand was already swinging around, ready to grab her...

An angry cry went out; there was a sickening _rip_ of flesh. The looming hand went limp, followed by the titan. But Rico did not look back, she catapulted downwards and skilfully skidded to a halt on the ground. But the momentum made her lose her balance; she continued falling forwards, her hands shot out in front of her. She managed to catch herself against the ground, but her fingers dug through the dirt, leaving them raw, bruised and bloodied up to the knuckles.

She forced herself onto her feet and whirled around, the second titan laid dead before her. A huge chunk had been taken out from the back of its neck. It was already starting to evaporate, as all dead titans do.

Standing before the corpse was Levi. His cape was blowing in the wind and he seemed occupied with something in his hands...

_He... saved me?_ Rico realised. Her eyes widened and she felt her jaw slacken.

"Are you alright?"

Rico nearly jumped. Armin was standing beside her, looking sincerely concerned. _When did he get there?_ Rico wondered.

"Y-yeah..." She told him, keeping her hands hidden under her cape. "That was Levi who took out that titan, right?"

Armin nodded. "He beat me to it! I see Sasha got the other titan... We were just heading back when we heard a huge noise! I was so worried! But-" he smiled "you're all safe."

Rico let the corner of her lip curve up, only slightly, showing the smallest of smiles. Her gaze trailed back over to Levi. His head was still lowered to his hands. It made Rico's gut twist with worry. _Had he been hurt?_ She left without saying another word to Armin.

Levi heard the footsteps coming his way, but didn't look up. Soon, Rico was standing in front of him. She opened her mouth to speak- to ask him if he was injured, to thank him for saving her life... But then she noticed something. He was _cleaning_ the handle of his blade. Rico nearly choked. Any inclinations of saying "thanks" or asking about his condition went out the window.

Instead, she blurted out; "Are you serious?!"

Levi looked up from his work nonchalantly, "What's your problem, Midget Four-Eyes?"

"What's _your _problem?!" Rico shouted, pointing a bloodied finger at Levi's face.

The Corporal flinched, "what the hell happened to your hands? They're filthy! Don't put them near my face."

Rico pressed her whole, red, blood-smeared palm against Levi's cheek. She smirked when he angrily pulled away and obsessively rubbed at his dirtied face, all the while muttering curses.

"That's for saving my life." She grumbled.

Levi sheathed his swords and crinkled his nose at the shorter soldier. "If that's the thanks I get, next time I'll leave you to become titan shit."

* * *

It seemed nothing would wipe the pleased grin off Sasha's face. She was quite proud of her titan kill, _so_ proud in fact that she hummed tunelessly during the next horse ride. The squad abandoned the broken down barn, they galloped onwards for hours, until the moon was high above them.

They came to rest at an open, levelled out area encircled by pine trees. The horses were once again tied up and the team settled down for the night. They only had extra clothes for blankets and pillows, but weariness had hit some of the members so hard that they fell asleep the moment they were on the ground. Armin curled himself up into a little ball in the grass and snoozed quietly. Next to him was Sasha, draped in an extra jacket, her limbs sprawled out all over the place and drool dripping from her mouth. Connie was snuggled alongside her in a similar fashion, snoring loudly. Jean had propped himself up against a tree nearby with his hands folded behind his head. He was using his cape as a blanket.

Rico sat a little further away. She was also leaning against a tree, wrapped up in her own cape, but she couldn't sleep as easily as the younger soldiers. She lifted her hands out of the warmth of her cloak and held them up in front of her. She had bandaged them up in soft cloth, leaving only her fingers protruding. Much of the cloth was sprinkled with dried blood, and her fingers all ached horribly. She flexed them slowly, flinched at the pain, and withdrew them into her cape.

She thought back to the barn breaking to pieces, the shadows swallowing her surroundings, the urgent cry before those titan fingers curled over her... _Was that Levi calling?_ She mused.

She inclined her head to the silhouette standing among the tree branches. Levi was surveying the area attentively. There would be no sleep for him, not yet. Titans were inactive at night, but there was nothing to stop titan shifters from ambushing them, should their location be discovered. There always had to be someone on guard. Levi had appointed first watch to himself, Rico was scheduled for the second round later in the night, followed by Jean. Come daybreak and they had to be on the move again.

Rico sighed. Not sleeping in a bed was going to take some getting used to, but what other choice did she have? She definitely couldn't sleep on a guilty conscious. Her mind seemed to constantly remind her that the man pacing about the pine trees had saved her life earlier. _I have to thank him properly_... she thought drearily.

So up she got, and dawdling she went...

A twig snapped under her foot. It attracted Levi's attention immediately. He looked down at her, looking somewhat annoyed. That was when Rico realised she didn't have her gear on her. She had no way of getting up to Levi's level. She stared up at the dark-haired soldier, feeling a little stupid... She didn't want to yell – in this quiet forest it would be like announcing your position to the entire world.

Levi narrowed his eyes at her. He grappled onto the branch at his feet and lowered himself down. He stopped before hitting the ground and left himself dangling just above Rico.

"What do you want?"

_Ugh, that tone in his voice..._ Rico considered spitting in his face and returning to bed. But she thought the better of it. She breathed out her nose heavily. "I just wanted to thank you, properly, for saving my life back there... I... appreciate it." She looked away, feeling a bit shameful for the way she had acted before.

Levi stared at her briefly, expressionless.

"Hm." He said.

He went zipping back up to the branch without another word. Rico stood there, mouth agape, dumbfounded. Levi ignored her and pretended to scrutinize the horizon, but eventually he glanced back down. Rico was still there, unmoving, her face a mixture of surprise and anger. Levi almost, **_almost_**, smirked. He dropped back down like a spider spinning a web, and paused just in front of her.

"What do I need to say to make you stop staring at me like an idiot?"

Rico scowled at him. "Maybe something like 'you're welcome' or 'yeah, don't mention it' would be nice?"

"Don't mention it."

Rico couldn't tell if he was mocking her. She raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously... His hand suddenly made its way to the back of her head, where it tangled into her hair. He pulled her closer and stared evenly into her eyes. Rico, taken aback by the move, only stared back perplexedly.

"Go to sleep," Levi ordered, though not too unkindly.

He released Rico and clicked down on his trigger, making his gear heave him back up to the branch. Rico absentmindedly rubbed the back of her head where Levi's fingers had curled into her locks. Her brows knitted together in disapproval over being handled like that, but the time for snarky remarks was over. With an exaggerated sigh, she plodded back over to 'her' tree, curled up against it and, after a long time, drifted off into a light sleep.


End file.
